Symbol Palette

Insert math symbols by browsing, searching, or drawing the symbol you have in mind.

The symbol palette inserts math symbols into your document. If you do not know a symbol’s name, draw it and your browser finds the command. Nothing needs to be set up.

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Insert a symbol

1. Put the cursor inside math

   Most symbols only work inside math. Click where the symbol should go. In the editor toolbar, click Insert math, then Inline. The cursor is now between \( and \).

   

   The Insert math menu

2. Open the palette

   In the toolbar, click the Ω button, Insert symbol. You can also click Insert, then Symbol, at the top of the page. The palette opens below the editor.

   

   The symbol palette

3. Find the symbol

   Click a tab: Greek, Arrows, Operators, Relations or Misc. Hold the pointer over a symbol to see its name and command. Some also show a note, such as the package they need.

   

   The name, command and note of a symbol

4. Click it

   The command appears at the cursor. The palette stays open, so you can add the next symbol right away. Click Recompile to see the symbol in the PDF.

   

   The symbol in the document and the PDF

The palette works the same way in the Visual editor.

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Search for a symbol

Type in the Search box. You can search for a command (\sum), a word from the symbol’s name (arrow), or the character itself (α). The search covers all the tabs. Clear the box to go back to the tabs.

Searching for arrow

If nothing matches, the palette shows No symbols found.

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Draw a symbol

Use this when you can picture a symbol but do not know its name.

1. Click the pencil icon

   Click the pencil icon, Draw a symbol, to the right of the Search box. The tabs are greyed out and a dashed box appears on the right.

   Loading model… shows until the recognition is ready. The first time, your browser downloads about 40 MB from your site. After that it keeps these files.

   

   Draw mode

2. Draw in the dashed box

   When you finish a stroke, up to ten matches appear on the left, the closest first. Hold the pointer over one to see its command. A symbol with several strokes updates the matches after each stroke.

   

   The matches for a drawing

3. Click the match

   The command appears at the cursor. Your drawing stays, so you can try another match. Click Clear before you draw the next symbol.

   

   The command at the cursor

To go back to the tabs, click the pencil icon again or click the Search box.

The recognition runs in your browser. Your drawing is not sent to your site.

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Matches that need a package

Drawing knows more than 1,300 commands, while the tabs list 117. Many of the others come from a LaTeX package. In that case the tooltip shows the line to add.

A match that needs a package

Add the line to your preamble, before \begin{document}:

\usepackage{amssymb}

The palette does not add it for you.

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Use the keyboard

From the Search box, press Tab until a symbol is selected. The arrow keys move between symbols. Enter inserts the selected symbol and closes the palette.

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Close the palette

Click the × at the top right of the palette. The Ω button and Insert, then Symbol, also close it.

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If something goes wrong

What you see	Why	What to do
The compile says Missing $ inserted	The symbol is outside math	Move it between \( and \), or use Insert math first
The compile says Undefined control sequence	The command needs a package	Hold the pointer over the symbol in the palette to see which one, and add it to your preamble
There is no pencil icon	Your browser cannot run the recognition, for example Safari 15	Update your browser or use another one. The tabs and the search still work
Recognition unavailable below the dashed box	The browser could not load the recognition files	Click Please try again